MB Levis & Associates LLC Raises Position in Becton, Dickinson and Company $BDX

MB Levis & Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 1.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,564 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. MB Levis & Associates LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $786,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northcape Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% during the first quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,814 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,248,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 4.7% during the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 1,188 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.7% during the second quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 7,906 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,362,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 10.9% during the first quarter. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN now owns 569 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $130,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 5.4% during the first quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,161 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of NYSE:BDX opened at $189.20 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $190.60 and its 200 day moving average is $184.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $54.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.25. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52-week low of $163.33 and a 52-week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%. Sell-side analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 8th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 8th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on BDX. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 target price (up previously from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Argus upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $205.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 22,226 shares in the company, valued at $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 1,838 shares of company stock worth $348,392 in the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.